Avondale Schools Leader Creates a Model for Building Community

The first thing a visitor to Avondale Schools superintendent George Heitsch's office might notice is his tie.

It's silk and bright red and features childlike crayon drawings of children. When you ask him about the tie, like everything else in the small school district he leads, he'll tell you its story.

The tie is from Save the Children. It's a nonprofit organization dedicated to making lasting, positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children and their families and around the world.

He wears a different one every day. "I have close to 50," he said, smiling.

To Heitsch, it's a matter of fact, that tie he's wearing. This is the same way he talks about his 215 teachers and 3,730 students in the northern Oakland County district.

He calls Avondale the "little district that is doing it," and he and his staff have nonstop evidence to back up that claim.

"There's a certain kind of spirit here," he said.

'We've figured it out'

Avondale teaches children from four different municipalities; about 40 percent of the student body is from Auburn Hills, another 30 percent is from Rochester Hills and the rest of the students are from Troy and Bloomfield Hills.

The Avondale school community is reflective of the real world, Heitsch said. "With students from four cities, it's diverse socially and economically," he said. "I like to think we've figured it out; we've created a model for building community."

This is Heitsch's sixth year as leader of the school district. Before coming to Avondale, he was an assistant superintendent in Farmington and worked in West Bloomfield prior to that. He is 57 and lives in Commerce Township.

To Heitsch, the focus on education is all about student achievement, and according to that philosophy, Avondale is at the head of the class.

"If the primary business of a public school district is learning then we've figured it out," he said.

Consider these highlights:

• In 2011, Avondale graduates were awarded an unprecedented $5 million on college scholarship opportunities; four of 40 of Central Michigan University's Leader Advancement Scholarships were awarded to Avondale students.
• Last year, Avondale High School received top honors in the 2011 Oakland Press/Oakland Schools Excellence in Education award for its academic center, a mentoring program.
• Avondale is an AP School of Distinction.
• Its choir, art and drama programs have received recognitions for excellence.
• On the 2011 MEAP test, Avondale students .

Heitsch credits the district's small size with its ability to hone in on academics. "We are able to focus on the individual here," he said. "We can recognize mistakes and correct them quickly."

Avondale, a School of Choice, has 25 out-of-district students. Heitsch acknowledges that districts across the state are talking about consolidation, but he said a future consolidation between Avondale and any of the other surrounding school districts is not up for discussion.

"At some point, not every school district in the state will have their own back-room operations," he said. "But I know the citizens of Avondale want Avondale High School – we're the right fit for this community."

Financial future

Despite the good news in the Avondale classrooms, the district has had its struggles in recent years. The district is operating in a deficit; with the state of Michigan puts the district on track to be out of debt by June 2014, Heitsch said.

Last year, teachers and staff negotiated rollbacks to help meet that goal. Heitsch accepted a 3 percent wage rollback in addition to a 20 percent premium share for health insurance.

Despite the uncertain financial future, Heitsch looks at the positive. "We are in a rather unique position among other school districts in the area, because the worst news has already happened to us," he said.

The real world

But back to the students – they're the foundation of the district and of every decision its leaders make, Heitsch said.

"There's a great culture here in the high school, for example, about caring about others," he said. A student leadership program called Go focuses on students giving back; last year, Go partnered with other schools to raise money for an orphanage in Tanzania.

Heitsch said between 70 percent and 75 percent of Avondale students attend college right after graduation. It's something "we want to do better with."

That goal starts in the classroom, he said. "I see great teaching," he said, recalling a time recently when he walked into a classroom and observed a first-year teacher.

"The bell rang and the kids stayed." The students were that engaged, he said.

"I like to call us the gem of Oakland County," Heitsch said. "We are one of the best systems in the state for helping teachers become better teachers."

Avondale Superintendent George Heitsch is blogging on Patch starting today. Read about under Patch Local Voices.